7-Keto DHEA Supplement for Weight Loss
Benefits Vs. Side Effects

7-Keto DHEA supplement is said to cause weight loss without the side effects normally associated with steroid hormones. How believable is this?

According to biochemist Stephen Cherniske, DHEA can reverse the
effects of aging and help you regain virility. Here's how he introduced
this revitalizing hormone in his 1998 paperback The DHEA Breakthrough:

DO YOU WANT . . .

The high energy you enjoyed in your twenties and thirties?

Protection against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis?

Renewed sexual appetite and vigor?

To beat depression, boost your memory, and handle stress?

To lose body fat while building up your lean muscle mass?

Since the late 1990s, DHEA has been the subject of many scientific
studies. Fast forward to 2008, perhaps now is the time to examine our
understanding of this supposedly wonder drug, especially with regard to
its weight loss benefits?

What's DHEA?

DHEA is a short form for dehydroepiandrosterone (pronounced
dee-hi-dro-epp-ee-ann-dro-stehr-own). Although it can be consumed
orally as a supplement, this hormone is produced internally by the
adrenal gland in your own body.

Touted as the "fountain of youth", this hormone peaks in your body
peaks at age 20, and may fall by as much as 90% when you reach up to
age 90. Although it is the most common steroid hormone in human body,
its biological role is not well understood.

The main difficulty is that DHEA converts easily to sex hormones
(such as estrogen and testosterone), so it is hard to understand its
actions in isolation. Although scientists have not figured out how
exactly DHEA functions in our body, it has been shown to have some
anti-aging and anti-obesity effects.

Increased Cancer Risk?

The US FDA does not regulate DHEA as a drug, which means the
supplement can be obtained by anyone from health stores or over the
internet. However, despite its easy access, unsupervised use of this
hormone is still considered controversial.

Here's is what the Mayo Clinic says about DHEA:

There is sufficient evidence supporting the
use of DHEA in the treatment of adrenal insufficiency, depression,
induction of labor, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

There
is a lack of available studies on the long-term effects of DHEA.
However, DHEA may cause higher than normal levels of androgens and
estrogens in the body, and theoretically may increase the risk of
prostate, breast, ovarian, and other hormone-sensitive cancers.

Therefore, it is not recommended for regular use without supervision by a licensed healthcare professional.

This hormone is considered so controversial that it is currently only available by prescription in Canada.
In the US, a bill has been introduced in March 2007 to re-classify DHEA
as a controlled substance under the category of anabolic steroids.

So if you are considering buying DHEA over the internet - here is my
advice: play it safe, consult your doctor first. Supervised usage is
highly recommended.

Introducing 7-Keto!

7-Keto (3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural by-product of DHEA.

It is often promoted as containing the full benefits of DHEA without
the side effects, as it does not convert to sex hormones estrogen and
testosterone. Some vendors even claim that "it may be used safely among
people with hormone-dependent diseases, including cancer".

Another advantage of 7-Keto DHEA is that it has been shown to have antiobesity properties.

Burn Fat and Lose Weight?

First, let's see what the respectable Mayo Clinic says about DHEA's weight loss effects. They give DHEA a B grade for treating:

Adrenal insufficiency

Depression

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Obesity

Now, a B grade means "Good scientific evidence for this use". Given
that I have found the Mayo Clinic to be conservative in the past, this
is quite impressive. They explain further:

The majority of clinical trials
investigating the effect of DHEA on weight or fat loss support its use
for this purpose. Further research is needed to confirm these results.

That's a good start. A quick scan through studies conducted in recent years reveal further positive results.

Increased Metabolism

A 2007 study conducted by the Minnesota Applied Research Center
investigated the use of 7-Keto DHEA alone and in combination of other
weight loss substances in overweight individuals.

45 people participated, of whom 40 people completed the 7-day study. On average, they are 39 years old with a mean mass index of 32 kilograms per meter square.

Now, when you diet, your body automatically tries
to compensate by burning less energy. This is exactly what happened.
The test subjects were put on a restricted diet, which reduced their
metabolism.

The scientists wanted to know if consuming 7-Keto would boost their energy level.
The test subjects were divided into two groups: those who didn't
consume any supplement (placebo), and those who consumed 7-Keto DHEA.

The scientists found that the placebo group had a lower mean metabolism of 3.9% (due to the effect of dieting). Impressively, the 7-Keto DHEA group had a higher mean metabolism of 1.4%.

In other words, 7-Keto DHEA could help you increase metabolism and calorie burning, even when you are on a diet! Now you might ask: How significant is 5.3%?

If you burn 2,000 calories a day, this is roughly 100 calories, or 2.5 pounds over a 3 month period. This is not bad, considering you are also losing more weight by eating less and (hopefully) exercising!

Block Digestion

Another 2007 study conducted by University of Murcia in Spain
investigated how DHEA may affect digestion and body composition. Using
overweight rats as a model, they discovered the following:

DHEA treated mice were less likely to gain weight when eating a high fat diet.

DHEA treated mice were more likely to burn fat and preserve muscle.

The scientists concluded as below:

In conclusion, we confirm the slimming
effect of DHEA and, for the first time, we demonstrate that DHEA has an
effect at the digestive level.

The anti-obesity properties
of DHEA could be related to a reduction in protein digestibility in the
short term and a protective effect on body protein with a selective
mass loss from body fat.

Recommendation

The above two studies aren't exhaustive, but it does back up Mayo
Clinic's claim that DHEA's weight loss effects have "good scientific
evidence". However, one important question remains: How safe is 7-Keto
DHEA?

Mayo Clinic and other authoritative health sites don't have the answer, as they don't treat 7-Keto any differently from DHEA. So I will quote from two informed sources instead.

For an optimistic view, read Evitamins - an online supplement seller:

A safety study in humans has shown that
7-Keto did not raise estrogen or testosterone levels or produce any
other negative effects at levels up to 200 mg per day for eight weeks.

Short-term animal studies also revealed no adverse effects with large amounts of 7-Keto.

The
long-term safety of 7-Keto for humans has not been demonstrated, and,
because it is chemically related to steroid hormones, the potential for
adverse effects must be considered.

In addition, the
increase in T3 levels resulting from taking 7-Keto could, in theory,
produce adverse effects on the heart or promote bone loss.

For
these reasons, people wishing to take 7-Keto, particularly those who
have a thyroid disorder or are taking thyroid hormone, should consult a
physician. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug
interactions with 7-Keto.

Dr. Ray Sahelian expressed a cautious sentiment:

7-Keto DHEA is a hormone similar to DHEA.
Proponents claim that 7-Keto DHEA cannot be metabolized to active
androgenic or estrogenic hormones but retains and enhances the
immunologic, memory-enhancing and thermogenic effects of DHEA. I find
this hard to believe.

The same mechanisms and biochemical pathways that lead to the 7-Keto DHEA benefit they claim, also are involved in causing 7-keto DHEA side effects. I will hold this viewpoint regarding 7-Keto DHEA until I am shown evidence to the contrary.

If
7-Keto DHEA has testosterone like benefits, it is likely that certain
7-Keto DHEA side effects will be due to androgen excess.

Smaller
amounts of 7-Keto DHEA may be appropriate to use for specific purposes
and for a limited time as long as your health care provider
approves. For this reason we have made a 7-Keto DHEA supplement
available.

The bottom line? This supplement has good credentials for promoting weight loss, but despite the manufacturers' claims otherwise (e.g., there are no side effects), you may want to proceed with caution.

My first recommendation is green tea,
but if you would like to experiment with 7-Keto DHEA, please speak to
your healthcare adviser, and never exceed the recommended dosage!